Path of the Vampire forum

COSIMO | It had been half an hour since Cosimo had slipped off to organise to have a sleep deprivation tank delivered immediately. Immediately wasn't so easy at this time of night, and he knew it would probably take some bribing and an awful lot of money. The money Cosimo had was pledged to Elizabeth, to pay her back for the relic she had bought him. But this... well, this was for Elizabeth, wasn't it? So it was, in part, paying her back. Eventually, he got through to someone greedy enough to comply. When he returned to Elizabeth's side it was to be asked how long the tank would be, and Cosimo nodded. "Si. It will come tonight. They said one hour," he said. "They will call when they arrive. We will have to direct them, to where we want it to be. Until then, Elizabeth... please. Sit. Here. Talk to me."


ELIZABETH | It would come tonight. A foundation, or building block at the very least to the silence she was needing to...think. Reflect, even. It would more than likely not stop any telepathic messages, but she received so few of those these nights. With an exhale from her lungs, they were emptied before she took to his advice. The woman moved to claim a spot upon the bench besides Cosimo, then thought where best to start. "I...my ring. My binding one. I sold it this evening. We have not been bound in some time, but, I held on to the ring in potential hope. Which is a silly notion. Hoping for something that has been nothing for so long. Still..." She looked at him. "I did not forsee this night, ever." Or the night that she broke their bond either. "It is now final." That was just one of many problems at the moment. But the best place to start.


COSIMO | Cosimo was unsure how he could comfort Elizabeth. He could not compare her circumstance to anything he had experienced, beyond the times that Athena distanced herself, or slept. She always came back around. Always with promises, though she had broken promises before. He was not sure that he could trust them, but forever the optimist, he always tried. To compare Elizabeth's woes with his own would be petty and useless. And insensitive. He took his sire's smaller hand in his own and squeezed it for reassurance. "We often do not foresee the future, or the sadness it might bring us," he said, finally lifting his eyes to hers. When he smiled it dimpled his cheeks. "But misfortune is not always the case. There is also good fortune. It is the other side of the coin that you must look forward to..."


ELIZABETH | She nodded her head, then offered a small smile in return to his own larger one. "You are right, of course. In time, there will be good, even if brief." Misfortune seemed to follow her more than the flip side of the coin, but he was not wrong. Even if just one good thing happened, it was good and it had happened. Elizabeth could not argue that thought. "What is one's thought on pheromones? Do you believe as vampires, a person possess them? In theory. It seems so very...biological...a human concept.


COSIMO | "Pheremones?" he asked, the word tripping around in his head. "Ah, feromoni?" he clarified, before frowning, perplexed. "I am not sure even human females possess them. It is... an animal thing," he said, eyes glazing as he tried to remember. Back in his humanity, had he ever been so wildly, animalistically attracted to a woman? He shook his head. "I think that if a female woman possesses them, they are very slight. Why do you ask?"


ELIZABETH | "Perhaps it is used in a broad sense...as in how a person smells? Their perfume, mayhaps?" Elizabeth rolled her shoulders, then laughed. Maybe that was it. Her choice in perfume. "There is an individual within the city who seems...interested in the notion. Among other things." She concluded, not wanting to divulge more upon the topic for personal reasons. "Perhaps one does not like the scent of my perfume." She concluded, before leaning an elbow on the side of the bench and burying the side of her face against an open palm. "Apparently, if we have them, I lack them." There, that would address most of the thoughts upon her mind about those strange occurances. "Which would explain a few other things."


COSIMO | "I..." he paused, and frowned. He thought about it, the cogs turning in his brain. "I never did think that feromoni were supposed to have a scent. If they did, it would be... very subtle. Very slight," he said. But he was still thinking as he spoke, his features growing a little frustrated. Angry, even. "I think that it is an insult, that someone should say such a thing. It is like telling a woman she is unattractive but you are a beautiful woman. You are an intelligent...who was this person?!"


ELIZABETH | An insult. Elizabeth had thought as much, but let it not bother her until the conversation had cropped up again and she had a further understanding of what the individual had meant. She saw the look upon his face, then laughed. "It may have been, but remember...something, or even someone, is not everyone's cup of tea." She stated, before thinking on who the individual was. "I...actually know not. I do not believe we have met often, or ever...In truth, that means it matters little, yes?"


COSIMO | Cosimo shook his head. Not to say that it mattered little -- to say instead that he disagreed. It still mattered. Where were the men with manners? Certainly, the man Elizabeth spoke of was not from Italy. Italian men could be charming, and petty insults never touched their tongues. "Women have all of the power," he said. "The world knows it. Men know it, it is why they are oppressed," he said. He truly believed what he was saying. Women were goddesses. They were to be worshiped. They were the mothers. They SHOULD be worshiped. "If you are not his cup of tea then he should hold his tongue. And if it is a jibe, to try to make you prove him otherwise, it is an insult. He sighed, then. "No. If it does not matter to you, then it does not matter. It has not worried you, has it?"


ELIZABETH | "Worried? How so? Worried to be near the individual? Not particularly. I have stood against bigger odds." She reminded him with a laugh, before thinking upon what he said. She had not thought to entertain the idea of proving the individual wrong in that respect. If his approach was to try and get a rise from her, he would be very dissatisfied. Still..."It has made me reflect, in some degree." She admitted with a small smile.


COSIMO | "Reflect on what?" he asked. The woman had stood against many foe in defence of her territory and had come out on top, victorious. Cosimo was not so worried about Elizabeth's wellbeing -- not physically. That was not his question. He wanted to know whether she was worried about his words -- whether they had harmed her happiness, her contentedness. This admission had come close to the other, the bigger of her woes. He wondered whether they were connected. He wanted Elizabeth to open up to him. All he could do was persist.


ELIZABETH | She sat up, then turned to face him. "Why things are the way they are, Cosimo. It is no secret that Shamus has been gone for some time. We do not speak of these things, to which I appreciate, but it has been years. Three." She inhaled to fill her lungs, before focusing on the Begonias. "And while I may not be his cup of tea, it seems that I am not anyone's cup of tea. I must be a very distinct flavour." She laughed, then returned her gaze to him finally. "I do not say these things to receive any form of kind compliment from anyone, most of all thee. We have eternity, and I may have to wait another five hundred years to receive or feel a sliver of what I had with Shamus. Logically, it makes sense. For we outlive our normal life span. So why should one expect to find that again so soon?"


COSIMO | Cosimo laughed. The answer was so clear -- he wondered that Elizabeth had not seen it. He hoped that she did not think he was laughing at her, for she was being quite serious. He shook his head, even, presumptuously, lifted Elizabeth's hand to his lips to press a bristling kiss to her skin. An intimate act, maybe, but not so much to Cosimo. Cosimo, who would bare his naked backside in public and seemed to know nothing about boundaries. "Elizabeth. I hope I do not offend, but it is obvious. You have been waiting for Shamus," he said. "Whether you tell that to others, or not, it is... have you been open to the invitation of others? I did not think that you were looking, or that you would accept another man into your life," he said. "Now that you have sold the ring, tesoro, I know that it is sad. But if you let go of him, it will be obvious. Welcome the idea of someone else in your heart, and they will come."


ELIZABETH | She had been, until recently. Elizabeth knew this to be true and so she nodded. "Hoping and waiting. Yes." She conceded, before twisting her lips in thought. "I have not been against the idea these past few months, but I suppose I have not been very forward, either. I...do not know what men like, Cosimo. It seems more of a headache than what it may be worth. In my time, women were supposed to be dainty and caring and a slew of other things. But those things are not what are desired by a great majority. And, I cannot be those things, or perhaps, not for some time. It is difficult to change things when they have been the way they have been for five hundred years." She admitted with a laugh. "Perhaps it is not perfume, or pheromones, but my old age." She pressed her cheek to the side of his shoulder and let it rest there. "I have some...interest in a man or two, but...neither are reciprocated, I believe. Which perhaps, is for the best."


COSIMO | Cosimo thought about it. Yes, things were different. He recalled his youth, the things that had attracted him to a woman -- in Italy, their olive skin and, in Summer, the proclivity to flimsy clothing. No make-up, their hair wild and free, their laughter boisterous and their attitude sharp. What was it that attracted him to Athena? Perhaps, because she had been so forward. If she had not, then they would not be together. Cosimo continued to hold Elizabeth's hand in his own, loosely, setting them both in his lap as his cheek rested on the top of Elizabeth's head. "You are not wrong. In this day, I think, the men are meek -- if they are not insultingly forward," he said. Though he did grin. He had once been forward himself. He charmed and laughed his way into women's beds. "Be open to advances, I think. Or be forward, yes. How do you know that your affections are not reciprocated? You do not, unless you make your own known. If you wait, you might miss out."


ELIZABETH | Elizabeth looked down to where Cosimo placed her hand and then thought about his evaluation of his own gender. Based off recent experiences, that seemed to be the exact way to summarize her experiences; looking back at the man in the castle with his conversation about how she did, or did not smell. "You are right." She moved to squeeze his hand with hers. "I had once. Been forward. perhaps not strongly forward, but...none the less forward. That is how I know it was not reciprocated. It is what it is, perhaps I was too subtle for the time in which we live within now. I will...take your insight on the matter, as I am confident you know best." He was from this time period, and with Athena for some time now. Yes, he would know what men liked.


COSIMO | "Mm," he said. "An explanation, perhaps. Paint me the picture, Elizabeth," he said. The conversation was good. It was, he hoped, keeping Elizabeth distracted until her sensory deprivation tank arrived. "How were you forward? Men, I am sorry to be unkind to my own, but we are oblivious," he said with a chuckle. "We are blind, sometimes. We do not see what is right in front of us. Perhaps, yes, you were too subtle. If you will tell me a story of how you made your affections known, I might be able to tell you whether you need to be a little more obvious. I do not know why they would not have reciprocated," he said. "If they were aware. You are a catch, Elizabeth. Unless they were intimidated, in which case they are not worthy..."


ELIZABETH | "I do not think it was intimidation. If that were the case, then I doubt they would continue to interact with me in any capacity." She offered, before softly sighing. "I think, perhaps I may have been too subtle. Suggestively subtle." She nodded against Cosimo's chest, before grabbing the hand she had squeezed and brought it to her lips in an affectionate kiss. "Or coy, perhaps is the better word. Either it was missed due to him being oblivious, or as you said...he is not worthy. I will have to decide how best to go from here." she looked up at him and smiled. "I...am not comfortable with painting the picture too much, but I have learned a great deal, regardless. Thank you, Cosimo." His hand came to rest within both of hers upon her lap, getting yet another squeeze.


COSIMO | When Elizabeth looked up at him, Cosimo looked down at her, brow arched. His hair flopped over his forehead but he did not move to brush it away. "Suggestively subtle," he laughed, but nodded. She did not wish to share, not that much. "If it will make it easier, imagine that I am a woman," he said. It would not be so hard to do, he did not thing. That part of him which made him male was maimed and broken and since its demise he had been a far more sensitive man. "But, I assume that you have your female friends who you can gossip with," he said. Who was he to ask for more? He was grateful that she had even opened up this much.


ELIZABETH | "Yes, well...one has to start somewhere, yes?" Elizabeth countered, before leaning away from him. "That would imply that I have some female friends and...well..." She placed a hand to his cheek for a brief moment. "I pushed a great many of people away with my prolonged absences, Cosimo. I did not cope with things as well as I should have." She concluded, knowing that to be true and that it was something she was working on now. "That is a fair pull of my imagination. To think of one as a woman. So, I shall think of thee as a friend and not my childe." She concluded, before turning completely towards him. "I did a play on words, I suppose. Do not judge me...but one of them works for me. In a way. With me, I suppose sounds better. He is human, which causes problems on that alone."


COSIMO | "Perhaps," he said, slowly. They had already had this discussion, and it was not one he wished to bring up again. He did not wish to rehash how Elizabeth's absence had felt, the way some had seemed to be invited but he had been left behind. "You coped in the way you had to, and you saw no other way," he said. "And I have always been your friend. I have never been just a childe," he added with a gentle smile. He, too, straightened when Elizabeth did. "A play on words? Human is... well. Not a problem now, but in twenty years, thirty, it may become one. Unless the human is willing to turn..." he said. It made him smile, the romantic in him awakened at the idea of it. "Does it not fill your heart with joy, to think of someone turning for love?"


ELIZABETH | "No, I suppose not." She agreed about his notion on being just her childe. "Exactly." She nodded, then added on, "I have not given it much thought, in truth. I am not looking to sire someone any time soon, and well...love can be a fickle thing. What one loves, or loved five years ago, could get bland two years after that, Cosimo." She looked to him. "For some. Not all." She smiled at him, hoping he did not take offense to what she was saying, since he was with Athena and they were very happy. It was perhaps possible for them-they were close in age and came from here and now. "He is attractive, but...there is something different to him. I picked up on it the second time in which I spoke with him. I do not think he would be happy being sired for any reason. At first, maybe, but give it time? Who can say?" She looked at him. "Are you still happy? Content with being what you are?"


COSIMO | "True, perhaps, but you would not have to turn him after two months. Five years on a man's age will not age him too much, I do not think. If you are with him five years as a human and after five years there is still love, then perhaps it is a leap that he will consider making," he said. A small smile was given in response to Elizabeth's clarification -- he did not disagree. Athena had once suggested they get married. Cosimo had said no. If she were to bring it up again, he would still say no. There were too many downs and not enough ups and he did not think they were ready for such commitment. Not when he thought he spent more time with his sire than with his girlfriend. Was that habit born from the times Athena had been busy, which he had not sought to rectify? Was it his fault? It mattered not. This was not what they were talking about. "I would hope that your affections for him are to do with more than his good looks," he laughed, then shrugged. "I am happy, Elizabeth. I do think this is something I might have chosen, that I would still choose if we could go back in time and start again."


ELIZABETH | "It is far more complicated than that. I would not sire him on principle alone." Elizabeth had entertained the idea briefly, but recalled his relation to a Noble vampire and how she would feel if someone else had sired one of her blood. "It is just not meant to be-cannot be." A warm smile crossed her features when he said he was happy. "That pleases me greatly to hear. I am glad we are where we are now." It was the absolute truth. They had come a long way in the last few months after everything. "Thank you, for speaking with me on this. It relieves some of the noise within my mind." She scooted closer to Cosimo and wrapped her arms around him. "Are you certain that one does not smell bad?" She remained attached to him, but laughed at her own silly question. She could smell fine-more than fine and never thought that, but then again...women today preferred to wear cheap, fruity based smells, whereas she did not.

COSIMO | Principle, yes. Perhaps something that Cosimo himself should attain when siring. So many of his had not lasted. Or they were gone. And when he thought 'so many', he really meant 'all.' Juniper, Foster, Kit, Cheyenne -- he had heard from none of them in weeks. Months, even. Half a year, more. If Cosimo were more principled in his choices, perhaps they would stay. But, Elizabeth was speaking of other things, and he had to accept her choice that it could not be. "Some of the noise?" he asked. "Perhaps, this is all that you require. And the tank will be just a trinket," he said with a smile. If he could cure Elizabeth of her woes just by being there, ears to receive her words, then he would gladly do just that. When she asked if he was sure she did not smell bad, he leaned over her and pulled a lungful of air through his nostrils. She smelled... well, like Elizabeth. "You are dignified," he said. "You smell like royalty," he concluded. "You smell like your flowers smell, Elizabeth. And they have a natural beauty."


ELIZABETH | "Some, which is better than none. I did say there were one or two. The other is not an avenue to be heavily pursued. It is...complicated, but they are not available." Complicated seemed to be all around Elizabeth. Which should have been a strong indication that maybe, the timing was not right, or maybe she should step away. Elizabeth laughed as his assessment of how she smelled, placing a kiss upon his cheek. "You mean, old fashioned. But, so long as it is not bad..." She concluded, thinking of the tank. "A trinket? I think in some sense, a life saver." Perhaps that was an overstatement, and not to be taken literally, but she had been swept into the vathia for many days in the past, and it was not a place in which Elizabeth wanted to go, if she could avoid it. "It will be used. Thank you for the suggestion and for ordering it."


COSIMO | "Not available," Cosimo repeated, nodding. "In a relationship already, then," he said. The shake of his head was slow, like a wise shiekh -- half a nod, half a shake, more of a wobble than anything else. Both sure an unsure -- he could not say for certain, as he did not know the man in question. "In your time, perhaps, a relationship will always last. It was improper for men and women to have relations without marriage, si? Today, relationships are not set in stone. They do not, most of the time, last. From what I have seen. There seem to be more divorces than marriages. Is he married?" he asked. "Marriage might make it harder..." he said. Clearly, Cosimo thought that whoever this man was with, they could not be more worthy than his sire. He glanced at his phone. "It should be here soon...." he said, in regards to the tank. "Do we need to give you a time limit?"


ELIZABETH | Elizabeth nodded her head when he repeated the words ‘not available,’ and added on the ‘relationship’ part. She understood the concept of more divorces than marriages, and felt as if he were talking right at her. Preaching to the choir so to speak. “Are you afraid that I may drown, or wrinkle up like a prune?” She asked with a light laugh, thinking how best to answer his question. “It was improper in my day to have relations at all of that nature. The old code forbid such a...union, if one will.” There were some things in which she respected about the old code still, others...she had forged her own opinions about. “Married, or not, Cosimo. I would not appreciate another woman entering something between I and another, unless terms were agreed upon. I, do not wish to wear the title ‘the other woman.’ Besides, do you not think I deserve to be more than that, if that is what I desire?” She looked at him with a moment of seriousness, before she cracked a smile. “I am teasing, Cosimo. I have never ‘shared’ before, and so while I am aware that there are all sorts of relationships between a man and a woman, or women, I suppose to enter something like that, I would need to know that I am more than just...something they wish to...plough.” There was a simple roll of her shoulders, before she scooted back to ‘her side’ of the bench.


COSIMO | Cosimo assumed that Elizabeth had misunderstood. On so many fronts. Not just now, but seconds ago. The modicum of comfort he provided by proximity was given back as she scooted away, which made him think he had offended in some huge, irrevocable way. "No, no," he said. "I am not suggesting that you become the other woman. I am only suggesting that if he is married, then perhaps the union is for good and your best option is to... well, forget about him. In that way," he said. "I am otherwise only saying that relationships in this age, they do not last. Of course you are more than something to plough," he said, disgusted at the word. "And nor would I ever assume that is all you are after," he said. She may have been teasing, but Cosimo was horrified that she would think he would view her in such a light. He sighed, the sound heavy, frowning. "Yes. I am afraid that you will drown, that you will wrinkle up like a prune. That you will never come out," he said.


ELIZABETH | She saw the look upon his features and realized that she may have said too much. Then again, did he not desire to know more about these individuals? She laughed at the idea of never coming out, then smirked. "I would have to come out at some point Cosimo. I do need blood every now and again." She reminded him, before the smirik vanished and was replaced with sincerity. "It is not always easy...to deal with the thoughts that never end, and other objects that interfere with my nightly routine. Sometimes, it gets overwhelming, especially since I have very few people in which I can confide within. Or should bother." She tipped her head, and smiled softly at him.


COSIMO | "Bother?" he asked, confused. "As in, you do not think you should bother confiding in anyone, or you think that you are bothering them by doing so?" he asked, seeking clarification. "If the first, then I am not too sure what to say, and will say nothing if that is what you mean. If that latter... it is not a bother. At all. I do not ever want you to think that," he said. He wondered where everyone had gone. This rooftop was once so active, people coming and going. Elizabeth's childer, her friends, had been many. They were important to her. And where were they now? Cosimo tried not to be angry with them, but he failed. There was no smoothing the deep frown that had settled down the center of his brow.


ELIZABETH | "The latter, Cosimo. Everyone has problems and things in which they need to be doing without the extra burden." She smiled and shrugged, before a thumb moved to the center of his brow and rubbed at it. "That look is not very becoming to thee." She laughed, before her eyes moved to the wildflowers. "I think you are right. About both of them, in the end. Neither can have a pleasant ending." She did not use the term happy, pleasant would be something she would settle for. "I must admit, I know not how big this wonderful tank will be...where best would it go, do you think?" Her blue hues travelled back to him, in mild interest on his opinion. Chances are wherever he suggested, she would set it.


COSIMO | Elizabeth had not told Cosimo who the other man was -- not that she'd given the first a name, either, but given some research it wouldn't be too hard to find out. Someone Elizabeth worked with. A human male. All Cosimo would have to do is keep his eyes open and one day, they might meet. The other ... well, Elizabeth, though able to share her feelings on the matter seemed reluctant to share all the details, and that was something Cosimo would accept, and respect. The subject was changed, and Cosimo would roll with it -- though not without adding two last things. "Some do not have any problems worth a damn and even if they did, are very happy to help with someone else's instead. It is not a burden," he said, genuinely, firmly. Not to be argued with. "And second -- no. I did not mean that you were old fashioned -- back when you asked if you smelled bad. I do not know where you got that idea. Flowers are always new. They are young, they are in their prime when they bloom, when they smell best. You are a flower in its prime. Not a dead one," he clarified, the frown easing somewhat at Elizabeth's touch. "As for the tank... I do not know. Do you want it up here, or in one of the rooms downstairs...?" Of which he knew there were several.


ELIZABETH | "Very well." She nodded, understanding that she could 'burden' Cosimo with things if she needed to. With those words came an appreciative smile. "Perhaps, I meant to say...mature. I have smelled some of the things in which Elise once wore...if she were not an apple, she were a sun-kissed raspberry, or coconut kiwi, or something along those lines. They smelled...nice, but those of us who appear, or are in our twenties, do not generally smell like...Begonias." She countered with a laugh, giving the placement some thought. "Very few people come here anymore...so perhaps here would be best. Where I enjoy most my time." It was a worthy suggestion, she thought.


COSIMO | "I was not being entirely literal," he added. "I meant that your scent has a natural beauty to it, whereas other women wear scents that are very obviously manufactured," he clarified. It should, he hoped, put Elizabeth's mind at ease in regards to her scent. "Here, then," he said. He had a feeling he might have to pay the delivery men extra to get the thing up here. Or maybe it wouldn't be all that hard. "... it will be quite large," he said, throwing a glance over his shoulder. Just as he looked at the elevator, gauging whether the thing would fit, his phone buzzed and chimed. They were here. "Or perhaps it will be in pieces, and we will have to put it together," he said. He hoped it was the latter, otherwise they might not be able to get it up here. "Do you want to stay here, or would you like to come with me while I direct them...?"


ELIZABETH | Elizabeth had not anticipated it being so...large. Big, yes, but there seemed to be some reservations on Cosimo's part. "Perhaps...downstairs, then. On the third floor." She changed her mind, not wishing for anything to be ruined or look out of place after all her hard work. "I will come." She stood slowly, bypassing the subject of how she smelled. If it did not offend him, then it was likely it did not offend many, or any and that was good enough for her. "The first floor would suit it well." Elizabeth determined as her eyes fell upon the elevator and how tiny it was. "Has one...ever been inside one before?" Elizabeth asked as she took a small step towards the elevator.


COSIMO | "We will see how big it is," he said, before he nodded. "Once. My father and I, we came into a bit of money. We ended up at a resort and well, this was one of the services that they offered," he said. "Imagine it is very... it is large enough to float in, without touching the sides. See, one of the senses it deprives you of is touch. The water will be warm, so that you will not feel it," he said. Though, he did wonder how that would work for a vampire. Whether it would have to be the same temperature as their skin. it would all be the same temperature, anyway. "It is like something out of the future. Smooth... I am not sure how it would come apart," he said. By this time they were in said elevator, travelling down. They were released on the first floor, where Cosimo headed for the front and the van he knew would be waiting.


ELIZABETH | "What of noise?" She inquired, following after him and standing across from Cosimo as he stood by the front door. "The world is a very...loud place sometimes." She glanced at the van, watching them start to unload the large machine. "This is ours to keep, yes?" She asked, wondering now just how much a machine that blocked out touch, and potentially sound may cost. Whatever it was, she would pay Cosimo back for introducing her to something she knew nothing about. "Thank you again, Cosimo."


COSIMO | "There is no noise, unless you move. And then you may hear the lapping of the water against the sides of the tank. There is no smell, except for the salt water that keeps you afloat. The light is optional. It can completely dark, should you wish," he said. How exactly they had invented a machine that blocked out all outside noise was a wonder to Cosimo, but they had done it. As soon as that lid was closed it was as if one had been sucked into the vacuum of space. He walked forward to greet the delivery men, who didn't seem too happy about having been pulled from... whatever it was they had been doing to deliver this machine. One man even looked like some kind of boss. They were thanked, profusely, before Cosimo turned back to Elizabeth. "This floor?" he asked. The machine came in a box but they started to remove the box in the driveway, to take the copious packaging away with them. It came like a refrigerator might -- all in one piece.


ELIZABETH | It all sounded so...promising. Almost too good to be true. If only she had known about something like this last year, or even three years ago. Her eyes brightened at the idea of silence encompassing her as she escaped to the confines of the tank. "Yes. This floor. It will fit in with all the other white things..." She commented with a laugh, before moving towards Cosimo and embracing him. "We are keeping it, I care not the price. It sounds...perfect." She pressed an excited kiss to his cheek, before moving inside the tower to help assist, by pointing to the spot that she thought would be perfect for the large machine.


COSIMO | Cosimo laughed -- he realised he had not answered Elizabeth's question from before. "We are keeping it, yes," he said. "The price is already taken care of. I owe you, Elizabeth, and I will not take no for an answer," he said. It took a good half an hour for the men to put the machine where it was directed, to plug it in, and to explain how it ought to be used. A hose had to be sourced and connected to a tap, somewhere, to fill the machine up like one might a small pool. The temperature of the water did not matter -- the machine would take care of that, once it was filled. Once the men were gone, Cosimo peered at the machine -- which would take another small while to fill with the right amount of water. "I do hope that it lives up to your expectations..."


ELIZABETH | "If it even solves but one problem, then it surpases anything in which I envision, Cosimo." She moved around the machine, taking in all its unfamiliar wonder. "It will be...wonderful. No, marvelous. You shall see." She nodded her head, before a hand pressed to the top of the tank. "I shall have a plumber in here first thing in the morning to deal with the hose and making of a tap...somewhere." She did not care where it went, so long as she had it for the tank. Diederik would see to it. "Does one think any light could get inside of it? Where it closes, perhaps?"


COSIMO | "No," Cosimo replied. He had not thought of a plumber -- that one would be required. But it made sense. The tank couldn't be sustained on just one lot of water, and hadn't the men just said that? It could be hooked up, hoses at the back, so that the water could be flushed and refilled automatically. There was an instruction booklet, and a display panel on the side for all of the settings. "There will be no light. It would defy the point," he said. His fingers ran along the seal of the tank, the way it was ridged. "See? I think that it will seal completely."


ELIZABETH | "True." She nodded, still smiling. She would have to read things to see how long a person -should- be in the machine. It was unlikely Elizabeth could spend the entire daylight hours within it. As tempting as it may be. "Thank you for speaking with me tonight. It has helped with the thoughts that weighed so much. " She glanced at the clock besides the bar, then at him. "I have a few things in the garden to do...I understand if you have somewhere else to be. Please do not let my...issues become yours and anyone else's." Mainly, Athena's, though she did not say that.


COSIMO | "No, I will come with you," he said. "If you do not mind me working at the crafting table while you do what you need to do..." he said. It's what he had been doing before Elizabeth showed up, and what he planned to do after they parted. "I can continue working on a list. The traps that you have asked me to make, I need some more items. I was going to check and see if I could find them on the auction," he said with a nod. "You can talk to me any time that you need to. I am here, more often than not."


ELIZABETH | "Let me know what you need specifically. I will search for the parts in the boxes and if I cannot find them there, I can find them, I am sure of." She started to move back to the elevator, then paused at his words. "Here...or at the bakery." She had not noticed that before he had said anything. Or maybe she had and was just too self absorbed with the idea that he was here, part of the tiny family once again. "Do not work too hard, or late, Cosimo. I do not wish to endure the wrath of that brunette of yours." She laughed, pressed the button for the elevator, and thought about what she had said. She could endure it, but she did not wish to take precedent over his beloved.


COSIMO | Cosimo followed along after Elizabeth -- he would go up for a while, but would have to come back to make sure that the tank would not overflow."Ah, she is busy," he said with a shake of his head. "She does not notice," he added. And she had not, thus far, noticed. Or if she had, she hadn't said anything. "It is better than sitting around at home doing nothing, si?" he said.


ELIZABETH | Elizabeth looked at her flowers, then at Cosimo. Surely, everyone would like her flowers! She had thought so, but...Cosimo would know Athena best. "The wildflowers are colourful." She mumbled, trying to imagine someone who did not like flowers. Other than any males she knew. "Maybe a trinket then." She could concede for tonight, that maybe Athena wanted something else. "Who does not like flowers?" Elizabeth grumbled to herself once she was in the shed, gathering the water cans to fill them. "I will make her a special tart, then." Elizabeth counterd, going about her work of watering the begonias and lillies. "I will not take no for an answer." With that settled, she walked away to go about her garden activities, leaving Cosimo to work on whatever he wanted, before he eventually left.